This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, brewing.com earns a commission at no cost to you. How we pick products
Beer · Recipe
Homebrew IPA Recipe: Brew a Hoppy West Coast IPA at Home
| Pick | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Learn To Brew Cascade Hop Pellets for Home Brewing, 1 lb | The Cascade this recipe calls for | Check price ↗ (paid link) |
| Whirlfloc Tablets, 10 Tablets | The Whirlfloc this recipe names | Check price ↗ (paid link) |
| CARGEN 14 inch Cotton Brew Bags for Grain and Dry Hopping, 15 Pack | The grain bag | Check price ↗ (paid link) |
| Northern Brewer Copperhead Copper Immersion Wort Chiller | Cool it fast | Check price ↗ (paid link) |
| Inkbird Dual Stage Temperature Controller | Hold the fermentation temperature | Check price ↗ (paid link) |
| Priming Sugar 5 oz, Two Packages | Priming sugar | Check price ↗ (paid link) |
| FastRack Amber Beer Bottles 12oz, Pack of 24 | Bottles | Check price ↗ (paid link) |
| WENNING Manual Beer Bottle Capper Tool with 150 count Beer Bottle Caps,26mm Beer Corking Machine for Home Brewing（Crown Cap WN005） | Capper and caps | Check price ↗ (paid link) |
Prices come from Amazon and refresh nightly. A pick shows “Check price” when we do not have a current figure for it.
West Coast IPA Overview
This recipe produces 5 gallons of classic West Coast IPA with 6.5% ABV and 65 IBUs. Expect bold hop bitterness balanced with citrus and pine aromas, a dry finish, and crystal-clear golden appearance.
Ingredients
Fermentables
- 9 lbs Light Dry Malt Extract (DME)
- 1 lb Crystal 40L malt (specialty grain)
- 0.5 lb Cara-Pils (for head retention)
Hops
- 1 oz Magnum hops (14% AA) – 60 min boil (bittering)
- 1 oz Cascade hops – 15 min (flavor)
- 1 oz Centennial hops – 5 min (flavor/aroma)
- 2 oz Citra hops – Dry hop (aroma)
The Cascade this recipe calls for
Learn To Brew Cascade Hop Pellets for Home Brewing, 1 lb
Cascade is the citrus-and-grapefruit hop the West Coast style was built on, and a pound is many batches' worth. Hop oils fade with warmth and air, so vacuum-seal and freeze what you do not use.
Yeast and Other
- Safale US-05 or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale yeast)
- 5 oz corn sugar (for priming/carbonation)
- 1 Whirlfloc tablet (clarity, added at 15 min)
The Whirlfloc this recipe names
Whirlfloc Tablets, 10 Tablets
Half a tablet at 15 minutes drops protein and polyphenol haze out of the wort in the whirlpool. It is the single cheapest step toward the crystal-clear appearance the overview above promises.
Brew Day Instructions
Step 1: Steep Specialty Grains
Heat 2.5 gallons water to 155°F. Place crushed Crystal 40L and Cara-Pils in grain bag, steep for 20 minutes. Remove bag, let drain (don’t squeeze).
The grain bag
CARGEN 14 inch Cotton Brew Bags for Grain and Dry Hopping, 15 Pack
Big enough to hold 1.5 lb of specialty grain for the steep and cheap enough that you can use one again for the dry hop in step 4 rather than fishing loose pellets out of the fermenter.
Step 2: The Boil
Bring to boil, remove from heat, stir in DME completely. Return to boil. Add hops according to schedule. 60-minute boil total.
Step 3: Cool and Ferment
Cool to 70°F, transfer to fermenter, top off to 5 gallons with cold water. Pitch yeast. Ferment at 68°F for 7-10 days.
Cool it fast
Northern Brewer Copperhead Copper Immersion Wort Chiller
Copper conducts heat faster than stainless, so the same coil length reaches pitching temperature sooner. Speed matters here: the gap between flameout and a pitched yeast is the most vulnerable window of the whole brew day.
Hold the fermentation temperature
Inkbird Dual Stage Temperature Controller
One probe, one setpoint, one switched outlet for a fridge and another for a heater. This is the difference between a target temperature and a hope.
Step 4: Dry Hop
After 7 days, add 2 oz Citra hops directly to fermenter. Let sit 3-5 days for maximum aroma.
Step 5: Bottle
Bottle with priming sugar. Carbonate for 2 weeks at room temp. Chill and enjoy!
Priming sugar
Priming Sugar 5 oz, Two Packages
Pre-measured at 5 oz, which is the standard dose for 5 gallons of ale. Measuring priming sugar by eye is how bottles become grenades.
Bottles
FastRack Amber Beer Bottles 12oz, Pack of 24
Amber glass, pry-off crowns. A hop-forward pale beer in clear or green glass will go skunky from light alone, which is a particular waste of 3 oz of hops.
Capper and caps
WENNING Manual Beer Bottle Capper Tool with 150 count Beer Bottle Caps,26mm Beer Corking Machine for Home Brewing（Crown Cap WN005）
The previous pick here was discontinued, and this is the closest current listing in the same class at a comparable price. It fills the same slot: Capper and caps. We have not tested it, and the specifics below come from the listing rather than from us.
Expected Results
- ABV: 6.3-6.7%
- IBU: 60-70
- Color: Golden (6-8 SRM)
- Ready to drink: 4 weeks from brew day
Shop this recipe
